Author Talk: Claire Hersom

Please join local author Claire Hersom for a discussion of her new book, Smithfield Junction- A Maine Novel. Copies of the book will be available for sale. Claire Hersom is a native Mainer with two books of poetry published by Moon Pie Press: Drowning: A Poetic Memoir (2008) and Dreamscape (2017). Her poem
Dreamscape was nominated by Moon Pie Press for a Pushcart Prize. She is a past recipient of Boston's Saint Botolph Club Foundation's New England Emerging Artist Award for poetry. In 2025, her poem First Day at the New Field was featured on Maine
Public Radio's Poems from Here and Now selected and read by Maine's poet laureate, Julia Bouwsma. This year, Claire stepped away from her 11 years co-organizing the poetry venue The Bookey Readings turning attention to her recently published book
Smithville Junction: A Maine Novel. Of regional fiction genre, it is set in the 1940's, and follows a young family through a small, rural town's journey toward a reluctant forgiveness surprisingly found through the innocence of an 8 year old girl. Claire has
three grown children, six granddaughters, and lives in Winthrop, Maine.

You may also like the following events from Gardiner Public Library:

• This Friday, 8th August, 10:30 am, Baby Bounce! in Gardiner
• Next Tuesday, 12th August, 10:30 am, Summer Storytime in Gardiner
• Next Wednesday, 13th August, 06:00 pm, Silent Book Club in Gardiner

Also check out other Arts events in Gardiner, Literary Art events in Gardiner.